Russell Simmons Supports Biden's "Chains" Remarks

Russell Simmons Supports Biden's "Chains" Remarks

Russell Simmons applauds Vice President Biden's honesty and says Republicans should focus on the real issues plaguing Blacks and other minorities.

Published August 16, 2012

Business mogul Russell Simmons wonders why Republicans are working themselves into a tizzy over remarks Vice President Joe Biden made before a largely African-American audience this week. Biden, who is known for sometimes keeping it a little too real, said that Republicans' desire to deregulate, or as they've said, "unshackle," the financial services industry would put "y'all back in chains." He was essentially warning that it would lead to another economic crisis. Republicans said the vice president had reached a new low.

In a blog post on the Daily Beast website, Russell suggested that if African-Americans aren't upset by what Biden said, Republicans should not be either. More important, there are far more important issues to deal with.

"If Republicans really want to know how to help Black people, then end the war on drugs, because that really is a war against our own people. Changing those policies will start to free 'the chains,'" Russell wrote. "Instead, these and other biased policies supported by the Republican Party dis-empower Blacks and all other minorities in various ways. Without health care, quality education, equal rights for women and gays and just a tax code (that raises my taxes!), under-served communities will be hit the hardest by the election of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan."

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